Cobra Golf Prepares for Tusculum Invitational

Courtesy of Dom Donnelly, Tusculum SID
3/6/2009

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College will host 14 collegiate men's golf teams at the 16th annual Tusculum Invitational this weekend at Link Hills Country Club.

The first round begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, followed by Sunday's final round which is slated to tee off at 8 a.m. on the 6,733-yard lay-out.

The Pioneers have won this event four times, including the most recent in 2006 when Tusculum fired a tournament record 579 over the two-day event. Tusculum has recorded one tournament win and three runner-up finishes so far this year. The Pioneers won the TC Fall Classic, led by three-time classic medalist Chase Carroll. Carroll, a senior from Knoxville, leads Tusculum with his 71.08 stroke average and has won medalist honors three times in events played at Link Hills, but never the Tusculum Invitational.

Darren Christie, a senior from Paisley, Scotland, has won the 2007 TC Invitational title with his tournament record 70-70=140 (-2). Christie is second on the team with his 74.31 scoring average, winning the Anderson Invitational to open the 2008-09 campaign.

Three other past champions will be returning to Greeneville to take a shot at the title.

Grand Valley State University, who won the 2002 and 2007 titles has enjoyed a solid season this year. The Lakers captured the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in October along with the Northern Michigan Invitational crown to open the season. GVSU has already finished in the top four in all seven of its events this year.

Coker College won the 2005 invitational crown and is currently ranked No. 22 in NCAA Division II. The Cobras have finished in the top five in all four events this year so far.

Walters State College also returns as the Senators won the inaugural even in 1994.

This year's tournament field will include South Atlantic Conference members Brevard College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Lincoln Memorial University and Mars Hill College. Other NCAA Division II schools include: Limestone College Tiffin University and the University of Montevallo. Other participants include: Spartanburg Methodist, USC Lancaster and Tri-County Technical College.

The previous three TC Invitational medalists have come from the Tusculum including Nick Kinzer (2006), Darren Christie (2007) and Chris Wynne (2008). In all, six Pioneers have captured the individual title at this event.

Admission to the 36-hole tournament is free and open to the public.